Tag: security

About

Computer security is an application of information security to both theoretical and actual computer systems. For the sake of simplicity, issues regarding privacy should be handled under the subject of information privacy rights. For the purpose of this article, Computer security is a branch of computer science concerned with risk management trade-offs in the areas of confidentiality, integrity and availability (see CIA Triad) of electronic information that is processed by or stored on computer systems.

The traditional approach is to create computing platforms, languages, and applications that enforce restrictions such that agents (i.e., users or programs) can only perform actions that have been allowed according to some specified Computer security policy. Computer security can also be seen as a subfield of security engineering, which looks at broader security issues in addition to computer security.

A secure system should still permit authorized users to carry out legitimate and useful tasks. It might be possible to secure a computer against misuse using extreme measures:
"The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and even then I have my doubts."
Eugene H. Spafford, director of the Purdue Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security.

It is important to distinguish the techniques used to increase a system's security from the issue of that system's security status. In particular, systems which contain fundamental flaws in their security designs cannot be made secure without compromising their usability. Most computer systems cannot be made secure even after the application of extensive "computer security" measures. Furthermore, if they are made secure, functionality and ease of use often decreases.

From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_security